New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie delivers his State Of The State address at the Statehouse, Tuesday.

TRENTON—In his third State of the State address, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said that the state will come back “stronger than ever” and called for the full passage of the Sandy relief bill in Congress.

“Sandy may have damaged our homes and our infrastructure, but it did not destroy our spirit,” said Christie during the 42-minute speech in the Assembly chambers.

Christie didn’t unveil specific new policies, but reviewed some of the achievements of his administration and the work ahead in the recovery. He called for lawmakers to work together in a bipartisan fashion to help the state recover, and repeatedly contrasted that with bickering in Washington D.C.

“Maybe the folks in Washington, in both parties, could learn something from our record here,” he said.

Christie said while Sandy battered the state’s economy, there were signs of fiscal improvement. He didn’t return to his call for the state to cut taxes, but said that taxes shouldn’t be raised.

“Despite the challenges that Sandy presents for our economy, I will not let New Jersey go back to our old ways of wasteful spending and rising taxes,” he said.

Christie delivered the speech as he enters his campaign for a second term as governor.

Democrats on Monday faulted Christie for failing to address the state’s high unemployment and foreclosure rates, and instead solely focusing on the recovery from Sandy.

“We all know the long road ahead for New Jersey as we look to rebuild after Sandy. That does not mean, however, that we can ignore the serious issues that were facing our state before the storm hit,” said Democratic Sen. President Steve Sweeney.

Republicans attacked Sweeney Monday for saying that Christie “prayed” for Sandy as a means to shift attention from New Jersey’s weak economy, though the Senator quickly retracted the statement.

Christie’s speech carried a far different tone then his upbeat State of the State address last year. The governor—who was considered a potential vice presidential candidate at the time—argued that an improving fiscal situation in the state was a justification to cut state taxes.

“Today, I am proud to report that the New Jersey comeback has begun,” Christie said last year. “We have restrained the growth of property taxes. We have put our pensions on a more stable and sustainable footing. And in doing all this, we have restored confidence and pride in New Jersey.”

Revenues have trailed this year’s budget since it took effect in July. While Christie still wants to cut taxes, he said in an interview Friday that he doesn’t expect Democrats to go forward with a proposal, citing political reasons.

Christie entered the fourth year of his first term with high popularity in New Jersey. A Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll released Monday found that 73 % of the 700 registered voters surveyed approved of Christie’s performance, including strong showings among Democrats, women and minorities. Christie has struggled to carry these groups in the past, but received widespread praise for his handling of Sandy.

The poll also found Christie had open wide margins against potential Democratic challengers for governor, with former Gov. Dick Codey showing the tightest race at 26% to Christie’s 59%. The telephone poll had a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points.